Going to Try This Again

Blogging? What do you mean blogging? Oh yeah, that thing that I used to enjoy so much. I forgot how, I think.



Ok...



Well, let's start with the kids. I can always come up with something about them.



Here they are:

Meyson has a job at Burger King and is contemplating his future. School, military, bills, money, love...so much opportunity. He's learned the hard way that bad choices come back and bite you later. Let's hope that lesson sticks. He's a good kid facing the big, bad world. Remember that?

Brianna is looking forward to soccer starting again soon and trying to determine whether or not to homeschool again next year. She's such a social girl that I won't be surprised if she chooses to go to public high school. I think she's enjoyed homeschooling this year, but I also think she misses seeing all of her friends everyday.

Cody lives for ballet. She loves it so much and is improving rapidly. I had to remind her the other day that she is precious and special not because she's a great ballerina, but because she is Cody and God made her special and unique. She looked at me like I was speaking gibberish. I'm going to have to figure out how to make that sink in.

Carson is sick right now. She tends to get high fevers with very few other symptoms, but she's an excellent patient. On normal days she is an eager and emotional child. She likes to learn, but gets distracted easily. I think daydreaming may be her activity of choice. Carson is very musical and we would like to get her into some kind of music lessons. For now, she sings all the time which is perfect.

Memphis sings all the time too. Not much on key, but that's what makes it so wonderful. His joy just spills right out of his mouth in whatever words and notes he likes. He is still the most daring of our children; I expect a broken bone or two in the next few years. Not that I'm looking forward to that, just trying to prepare myself.

Silas needs to spend more time out in public. She wants to be in control of any and all activities at all times. Since I tend to try and run errands when Brad is home, she hasn't had a whole lot of "public behavior" lessons. So beginning with our outing to the library in which she loudly announced that she did not like the young man who was standing next to us, and ending today when she refused to obey her Sunday school teacher, is a period of time in which I have realized my mistake. Silas can be the sweetest most compassionate baby girl you've ever met. She snuggles and plays and gives kisses and is generally lovely. I think the public deserves to see that side of her and she certainly deserves to be observed that way. Another lesson to impart...sigh.

Great kids, great husband, great life.

The Williams Family Academy

This is our homeschool. I have a total of 7 students lined up for next year and have begun to prepare our lessons already. Actually Meyson and Cody have kept up their schooling over this summer. Just math really.

Neither one has the patience to learn the concepts necessary to move at a rapid pace. Which in itself is ironic. They do not see the humor. Meyson will work problems thoughtfully until he gets tired of sitting there and will then just half attempt the rest. Cody will start out rebelling against the assignment, stretching it out over hours until she finally breaks down crying and doing her best to convince me that the material I already taught her has fallen out of her head.

I understand how the fear of a subject can intimidate a student. I was completely unsettled by algebra II and calculus as a student, but as I return to those subjects now as the teacher, I cannot understand what I was so afraid of. It's all very logical when you look at it. But I am more eager to learn now than I was then. I'm sure that makes a difference.

Anyway, we use Alpha Omega for our curriculum and have been more than satisfied with the content. This coming year Meyson, Brianna, and Cody will be utilizing Switched On Schoolhouse. The lessons, tests, and quizzes are all done on the computer with essays, projects, and experiments to be done additionally away from the computer. Three students full time on the computer means that our resources are tapped. We have one desktop that we bought almost 3 years ago, one desktop that was given to us last year, and my personal laptop which is about 5 years old. One of the desktops needs some help. I think it is overheating and it just shuts down. Usually when you are in the middle of something important.

Carson, Memphis, Silas, and Nicole's son Dexter will be working directly with me. Poor kids. Actually Memphis, Silas, and Dex will be attending preschool at our church 2 days a week, but will be forced to endure me on the other 3 days.

I have struggled with myself and any curriculum I've used because providing education for children is very high pressure. Or at least it should be. Their chances for success depend on the things they are taught. And not just in regard to academics. But I have a desire to provide as well-rounded an academic experience as is possible.

I hope the kids are ready for a challenging year. We've never used SOS full time before so I don't really know what to expect as far as the daily commitment is concerned. We will be finding out. Wish us luck!

Oh Yeah, About All Those People Who Live Here...

It's been quite a while since I've done an update on all the kids, so I'm here today to remedy that. Let me preface by letting you know that I've been printing all of my blogs that have to do with the kids to make them a sort of baby book since my tired attempts at scrap booking failed miserably.



Meyson is now 17 and facing his last year of schooling. Although he would never admit it, I do believe he is terrified of what comes after that. He has big dreams for his future including herpetology and acting and/or directing. He has an amazing talent for drawing so we are trying to push him in that direction to give him a start. What he lacks is confidence so if you see him soon a little encouragement would be more than appreciated. Brad and I are on edge because Meyson seems to be at that point in his life where he is wavering between what he has been taught is right and the "easy" looking path that those of us with more experience recognize as the school of hard knocks. We pray everyday that our voices will reverberate within him and he will choose the right path.

Brianna has officially entered teenagerhood. Unnerving is not a big enough word. She continues to excel in school and still enjoys singing in the choir. I am continually amazed at how well she plays with the little ones. Her laugh echoes through our home brightening every space. They love her so much. Bri wants to give homeschooling a try next year. I'm a little concerned that I will not challenge her enough and, compensating, will set the bar too high. A balancing act will surely be necessary.

Cody is now 9 years old which makes me feel older than dirt. How on earth is it possible that I have a 9-year-old? Anyway, ballet is her passion! She eats, sleeps, and breathes it. And she's really good at it too. I'm fairly certain that I'll need to get her some kind of calender to keep with her so that she can keep up with her many social obligations. She is the activity leader in our home and her impeccable planning skills are sorely missed when she's visiting her dad. Which she is doing now. For three months straight. I miss her so badly that my heart actually hurts, but if it's possible, I think Carson may miss her more.

And speaking of Carson, she is a whopping 6 years old. At least that's how many years ago she was born. I fully believe she ages in somewhat the same way that dogs do because I sometimes think she may be more wise than I. Or anyone else I know for that matter. She says things like, "Mom, don't you wish you could just start over in life? I do." I never know what to say when she says things like that. I just smile and make a mental note to write that down later. Her new hobby is collecting bugs. It has been somewhat traumatizing. Her first three were "Buggy" the beetle, "Buddy" the moth, and "Lily" the spider. They had to be released before we took a trip to Dallas and you would have thought we were having a funeral. Currently her pets include "Leafy" the leaf bug and "He Who Has Not Been Named" the spider.

Memphis. What else can I say? He's just Memphis. Full of joy and life. Full of energy and wonder. Master of the monkey bars, king of extreme. He takes corners on one wheel. Sometimes he falls on his face (thank God for helmets) but in the next second he's up and trying again. No matter how many trials life throws at him, the boy just keeps smiling and shining. He has really come a long way with his speech and showcases that by singing all the time now. He still scares me everyday, whether I'm worrying about his fearlessness or his tendency to develop unexplained tumors. His exuberance tempers my worry. Most of the time.

Silas is a passionate child. Many things evoke very strong reactions from her. If she hears a song she will sing and dance until she falls down. If somebody tells her "No" it's tantrum city. And these are the kinds of tantrums where you can actually see flames shooting from her eyes. She bites, she claws, nothing is off limits. BUT, when it's time to cuddle, you have never snuggled so well. She wraps those tiny little arms as far as she can get them around your neck and squeezes you like you are her own personal stress ball. She will kiss all of your boo boos. The sweetness oozes from her every pore. And if you really want to see her passionate side, just mention Dora. Oh. My. Goodness. Dora hung the moon, didn't you know? She went over the troll bridge, through the icky, sticky mud, and to the top of gooey geyser, where she then hung the moon.

There you go. Now you are caught up and I have one more post to print and add to the books.

In The Name of Cake

Today Cody, Carson, Brianna and I made a cake that is only comparable to what the food must taste like in Heaven. It is called Gooey Butter Cake. Try it. Today.

Anyway, this cake has to cool for awhile so that it doesn't drip down your arm. I don't care personally if it drips down my arm. I'm not ashamed to be caught licking my arm when it is Gooey Butter Cake I'm trying to retrieve, but I'd rather not have to give all the kids a bath afterward.

EVERYONE is very impatient for it to be ready. They keep standing over it, breathing the incredible flavor in only for me to shoo them away for fear of a lovely drool topping. Carson wants to know when, wwwhhheeeeennnnn will it be done. What time can we eat it? How much llloooonnnngggeeerrrrrr?

I told her that I am incapable of computing the speed at which heat leaves a solid object, but that she was welcome to google it if she wished. Instead she held up one little finger while a sly grin matriculated on her face and she said, "Tell me when it will be done or.....bellybutton squish!!!"

That means I must quickly shield my bellybutton before it is brutally assaulted by her tiny needle of a finger. It's not the worst thing she's ever done in the name of cake, but I will spare you those details.

A House Divided

It is football season although, for the most part, you wouldn't know it around our house. We are not huge football fans, but we do enjoy a good game every now and again. Being Texans, we are always happy to see a Texas team do well.

Last night, however, our Texas Tech Red Raider football team played the #1 Texas Longhorns and you can bet we were all hyped up for the battle. Brad, Cody, and I (and of course Memphis and Silas) are avid Red Raider fans, while Brianna, Meyson, and Carson (yes, they got her) were pulling for the Longhorns.

If you follow college football, you know that Tech pulled off a thrilling victory in the final seconds of the game. Woo Hoo!

I am appalled at Carson's endorsement of the Bevo crowd, but, of course, my blood runs black and red. So, when I was praying with her last night at bedtime, my prayer went like this:

"Dear God, Thank you for this day and for my precious Carson. Please keep her dreams pleasant tonight and let her know that she is so very loved. And go Texas Tech. In Jesus' name, Amen."

There was a long silence, and then, "Longhorns forever, longhorns forever, longhorns forever!" in a teeny-weeny girl voice complete with the hook 'em horns sign. ***Sigh***

George

A few weeks ago, we noticed that we had a visitor outside one of the windows in our homeschool room. He (we decided it was a "he" not because of anything having to do with his anatomy, but because none of us were excited about the thought of baby Georges) built his giant web there and has been camping out waiting for...well, hopefully for food and not because he really likes us.

George arrived at an opportune time, as we had just been discussing how spiders eat. Since the kids have seen Charlotte's Web, they know that spiders drink the blood of other bugs they catch. But, they wanted to know what happens to the rest of the bug's body. I had no idea and when George showed up, I was doubtful that he would provide the answer.

Fortunately for our little homeschool, he proved me wrong. One morning, George caught a fly in his web and we watched as he wrapped it in web, carried it to the center of his web, and proceeded to eat the whole thing.

Cody and Meyson were fascinated with watching the show. This is when Meyson named him George and I became grateful for a little real life science added into our curriculum. I began to wonder what else George would show us. But the next day, he was gone and we haven't seen him since.

This has Meyson and I a little on edge. We really liked George when we knew where he was. Now that he has vacated his web, we are a little worried that he may have liked all of the attention he was receiving and come inside for a closer look at us. In fact, sometimes at night I have to whip the covers off because I just know George is crawling up my leg.

You can see here how he compares in size to Cody's hand:

These pictures were taken through a double paned window, so he is even bigger than he appears.

If you happen to see George, don't send him home. He was fun and educational for a while, but I do believe I am over it.

Happy Fall Ya'll

The halloween season used to be a big deal to me. I used to let two little girls peruse the costume sections of the McCall's books at the craft store. Then we would pour over every conceivable fabric in the store until we had found the perfect ones for their chosen costumes. I would spend $30 easily by the time we had left the store, and then I would spend hour after hour slaving away at the sewing machine, often whispering angry words at it.

Now there are six children who need costumes and the ritual has been reduced to a wild rummaging through the closets to find anything that will work. Why don't I just start a month earlier and sew all of their costumes? Because, I'm not (completely) insane.

Here's how it all turned out:

Carson is Snow White. I dug out the old dress that I had made for Cody a few years ago, borrowed a curly black wig, threw in some white tights and black mary-janes that we already owned, and voila! A beautiful Snow White costume for zero dollars and zero cents.

Cody is Hermione from Harry Potter. My mom gave me an old nun costume which I cut down to Cody's size, we borrowed a Gryffindor scarf from Bri, painted a wooden dowel brown for a wand, and braided her hair early in the day for wild Hermione hair. Again, zero dollars and zero cents.

Brianna is Sarah Palin. This was Mamaw's (Brad's mom) idea and we loved it. I inherited a skirt suit a couple of months ago that was perfect, she already had the glasses, and we spent some time straightening her hair and putting it up in a Palin-esque manner. Free again.

Bri would only commit to the Palin idea if I agreed to be Hillary Clinton. Now let me just make it very clear that I am not in any way endorsing Hillary, I just happen to resemble her more than McCain. I'm not sure that everyone at our church carnival got the joke.

Silas is a mandrake. You know, the screaming baby plants that they re-pot in the first Harry Potter? I started with the ladybug outfit that I made for Cody. Obviously, I did not use the red part with the black dots on it. Brad and I cut some leaves off of his canna plants and I attached them to the ladybug bonnet. She was the cutest little killer mandrake ever.

Memphis is Batman. The bodysuit cost me $3.99 at a thrift store and the cape was one that Meyson had used in the past that we cut down to fit Memphis. He's not a fan of Batman really, but it was the only costume at the store that would both fit Memphis and cost less than $20.

We went to the annual festival at our church this evening and the kids had a blast. Memphis in particular was so much fun to watch. This is the first year he really understood what was going on.

He found a big mural with the beloved Bob and Larry on it and his reaction was priceless.

He is much more brave and skilled at climbing than we thought he would be. I really thought he would need some help climbing up the ladder in the big inflatables, but he not only did not, but climbed them like he had done it a thousand times before.

Getting candy was a huge thrill for Memphis and he soon figured out that he could charm his was to more than his fair share. He would skip the games and run straight for the person manning the candy bag, sign "more, please" and hold his bag open for them. Who could resist that? Nobody at our church apparently. He made quite a haul.

We knew it was time to go when he couldn't go two minutes without throwing a fit. His feet became immovable cement blocks and his voice went to full volume as he screamed his disapproval that he was not allowed to pickle fish for the 15th time. He would then become a limp pile of wailing flesh complete with a bloody nose. No joke.

The last time, I picked him up, potato-sack style, under my arm and walked very quickly toward the door with my hand over his mouth. I'm pretty sure that at least a couple people questioned whether or not he belonged to me. Yes, yes, the out of control, screaming banshee is mine. Thank you very much.

Recuperating

We visited our county fair yesterday and we are still exhausted after a full night of sleep. It's tiring enough to walk a long way and to subject your body to the rigors that some of the rides provide, but on top of that we were constantly looking around us to make sure we still had six little bodies with us. I can't even imagine the freak out if we were to lose one of them.

Cody and Carson are particularly hard to keep up with because they tend to be easily distracted by the noise and lights and crazy looking people. More than once I turned around to find them totally absorbed in something that had caught their eye.

We had the double stroller with us which takes Memphis out of the equation, thank God. Had he been loose we would have spent the entire time running after him shouting, "Hey you little monster! Don't you know we are here to protect you from the huge machinery and insane carnies? Stop running away!"

Brianna spent the afternoon trying to steal my cotton candy. I am very serious about cotton candy. It is the most amazing creation ever. So, I was glad that it seemed to satisfy Bri and the other kids when I gave them each a little bit.

Silas did amazingly well riding in the stroller or strapped to the front of either Brad or me. At one point, while I was wearing her, Brad was trying to talk me into riding a particularly scary ride. I said, "Alright, alright, but if I die it's your fault," and we proceeded to make our way over to The Inverter.

Meyson thought that I was going to leave Silas strapped to me during the ride and was extremely distraught at the thought of how scared she would be. He began trying fervently to convince me that it was a really, really bad idea. He's a good big brother.

We never did make it over to The Inverter, much to Brad's dismay, but I think everyone else got to ride everything they wanted to ride. Now we have a whole year to recover and it's a good thing because we're going to need it.

Why Do I Do This To Myself?

I have mentioned before that I'm not the world's greatest housekeeper. This weekend, Brad and I are having our first ever house guests and I have a very deep need to present a clean home for them to stay in.

I know what you're thinking. Yes, we just moved into this house. How messy could it be, right? Let me enlighten you.

In the last two days, I have done approximately 385 loads of laundry. Sheets, towels, light clothes, dark clothes, whites, and then allover again. Then I stuck the kids in there so that the clothes they were wearing would be clean. Oh, don't worry, they loved it.

I have vacuumed my living room so many times that I won't be surprised when my vacuum finally says, "ENOUGH!" and blows up.

I have cleaned the bathrooms and the kitchen, but with eight people living in this house, that effort is futile until the last moment. If you have any tips on how to effectively teach kids to clean up after themselves let me know. Right now I just threaten them with an atomic wedgie, but obviously that hasn't been working for me.

I am so excited to have my brother and his family here that I want to make them as comfortable as possible so that they want to come back again sometime. I'm sure they would tell me not to bother, that they love me even if I am totally out of control. But, I need to do this. I'm convinced that if I had to live through the embarrassment of them seeing my house in such disarray, that the universe will implode. It's that serious.

It seems that Cody has inherited my defective cleaning gene. Her room is a constant disaster. Sometimes, when I walk in there, I think I am in the movie Poltergeist and that her room must be possessed to have become as messy as it is.

I recently relayed this to my mom who said, "Like mother, like daughter." Thanks mom. "Exactly," I replied, "that's why I'm trying to save her from a lifetime of messiness." And Mom reassured me, "I tried that too." Great. I cried in despair, "So my efforts are futile?" With doom in her voice she answered, "Yes, I'm afraid so."

I am currently searching for a support group for us to join.

Lemonade Anyone?

Brianna, Cody, and Carson have been begging to have a lemonade stand for about a week. The weather had other plans. But today we finally had a nice day and they were very excited. Brianna came up with the idea of having a "wacky" theme for their stand, hence the costumes. If you look closely you can see a very unhappy Memphis trying desperately to join the fun.

The scene was pretty adorable. Every time a car passed, Cody ran around hollering like an Indian, Carson would do the hula, and together they would shout, "Buy some wacky-tacky lemonade!" When I finally liberated Memphis, he would raise his arms and shout with them, only his sounded more like, "Ahhhh-da-da-ba-doo-ma!!" Or something like that.

I guess their gimmick worked. They made $11.50 in just over an hour. Not too shabby.

Misdirection

Cody went to Girl Scout camp this past weekend. She had a great time hiking and swimming and bonding with the girls in her troop. I think it was really, really good for her to do new things with girls her own age. She can't wait to go back.

While she was there, she sent me a postcard. I got it yesterday. In the message section it simply says "I love you Mommy," which is perfectly cute all on it's own. But, the address section is so precious that I will be saving this postcard forever:

Mommy
456-7890

(Of course that's not our real phone number, so please don't call it. Unless you're still 14 and enjoy that sort of thing.)
It's good to know that she has our phone number memorized, maybe it's time to work on the address?

Don't Leave Children (or Donuts) Unattended

Yesterday I bought some Krispy Kreme donuts. Cody, Carson, Memphis, Silas and I were taking a trip to New Mexico to drop Cody off with her Dad for a visit. Between the five of us we ate six donuts. Of course, Silas ate the most.

There were six donuts left in the box this morning. I gave Carson and Memphis three of them for breakfast this morning and then I went back to my room. I was lazy. I thought that maybe on this Sunday morning, while Brad is recovering from "open heart surgery" aka no more baby surgery, I could lay down for a few more minutes. I figured since these parents of six were down to three children, we might be more likely to be allowed a few extra moments to snooze. I was right.

Brad and I slept right through Memphis noticing the donut box on the counter. We were unconscious when he took the box from the counter and went to find Carson. We were completely unaware as together they opened the box and devoured the three remaining donuts and replaced the box on the counter as if nothing had happened.

We were so oblivious that we didn't realize anything was amiss until Brad went to get himself a donut and was terribly disappointed to find that the box was empty. And when I asked Carson what had happened, I saw a lie forming in her mind. Her eyes shifted and she looked guilty. Fortunately for her, she used her better judgement and aborted her attempt at a fib. Instead, she laughed her cutest laugh and said, "I guess we ate them all."

I should be telling you that she was then punished for eating unauthorized quantities of donut, but honestly, I'd let them eat six dozen donuts for the chance at a little extra sleep. I would love to give you some more updates, but I have to get to Krispy Kreme before they close.

Her First Few Days

Silas is a wonderful baby. As is typical for new infants, she eats, sleeps, poops, and cries, although the crying does not usually last very long. She had her first official photo shoot while we were still in the hospital. I was delighted to find her alert time on day 2 coincided nicely with some really nice light coming into our room.

She is already Daddy's little girl. She loves to hear Brad's voice and his chest is her first choice for a good sleeping place.

My mom brought the three little kids to visit us at the hospital. Carson asked to see my belly, rubbed my stomach and said, "You got another one in there?" Thank you Carson. She was probably the most excited about Silas' arrival in the days before the birth, but when I called to inform her that she had a little sister, she said, "Yay! Can we have a lemonade stand today?" Sure, why not?

Going home

Cody cannot catch a glimpse of one hair on Silas' head without begging to hold her. She is the little mommy.

Memphis is surprisingly sweet with Silas. When he sees her, he runs to kiss her head. It doesn't seem to bother him that he may squish her little arms or legs when he leans over her, but it does bother me. Imagine that. He's going to be an incredible big brother.

First bath at home

Meyson and Brianna have not had the pleasure of meeting their new sibling yet, but they will be home tomorrow. They are very excited.

Silas is precious and we can't help but just stare at her and smile for much longer then we really should. She is a little miracle.

Random Ramblings

Cody seems to have picked up on my less than exuberant demeanor. She and Carson were pestering me about letting them help make brownies and helping them paint their nails. These are both activities that we always enjoy doing together, but this particular afternoon I was feeling extra sleepy. I half-heartedly asked Cody if she would mind if I took a nap first and her response totally shocked me.

"Sure Mom! Take as loooonnnngggg a nap as you need and when you wake up we will paint our nails and make brownies."

At first I thought that I must have already drifted off and was dreaming, but then I enjoyed a good hour and a half long nap. When I got up and we made brownies and did our nails. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Brad agreed that everyone's nails looked lovely...except for Memphis's toenails. I know, I shouldn't be painting his toenails, but he is so curious about what we are doing and he just puts his little boy feet in with his sisters' and can't understand why I wouldn't paint his too. At least he is satisfied with the toes and doesn't ask to have his fingernails done.

In unrelated news, today I installed the infant carseat into my car. It's actually an eight person SUV which is convenient because we are about to be a family of eight. Ridiculous is the word that comes to mind though, as I look around my monstrous vehicle and notice that literally half of the seats in it have carseats strapped into them. It is going to take us half an hour just to get in or out of the car.

As for Silas, he or she is still holding on to that umbilical cord for dear life. I am having contractions, but they are not regular and I have no reason to believe they are doing anything other than taunting me. I keep trying to will my water to break, but no luck there so far. I'll be sure to keep you posted on the happenings or lack thereof, the latter being the most likely.

More Tooth Trouble

I know we have more than our fair share of drama over tooth loss in this family. But, I guess if we must have some sort of drama, this is a relatively minor one. About a month ago I told the story of Cody losing her front tooth. Well, the other one has been loose since that time and, honestly, I was dreading the day it would be loose enough that we couldn't ignore it anymore.

That day was yesterday. We were in the car, running errands for baby stuff. Before yesterday we didn't even have diapers. Anyway, we began to get weary so we pulled into Wendy's for a frosty. Upon receiving hers, Cody began to cry inconsolably. She was afraid that if she ate it, her tooth would come out and she would accidentally swallow it.

Of course, she was so hysterical that it took us a good five minutes to figure out that that was the problem. It may have been one of the most ridiculous scenes I have ever witnessed. My seven-year-old daughter holding ICE CREAM at arms length and sobbing.

I love that girl to no end, but OH. MY. GOSH. JUST EAT THE ICE CREAM!!!

I decided then that the tooth had to come out and as soon as we got home I sat on her. That'll teach her to freak out. No, really, she wanted to be restrained last time so I was just obliging her wishes. Until she changed her mind, grabbed the paper towel from me, and pulled it herself. I don't know that I've ever been so relieved.

Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. It was Sunday and neither Brad nor I had any cash. Her lonely little tooth sat under her pillow, untouched, all night. This morning I made a point of going right in and telling her that the Tooth Fairy had called me this morning and told me that she had not realized that we moved. She went to our old house! Silly Tooth Fairy!

Cody laughed and rolled her eyes and was content to know that the Tooth Fairy promised to come to our new house tonight. Whew, get it together Mom. One of these days she's going to call my bluff and I'll be standing there like an idiot with my mouth open and drooling because there just isn't any other reaction that would explain the shut down in my brain. Sorry kid, your Mom's a dud.

The Laundry Monster

Laundry is the chore that I hate the most in the whole, wide world. It's like a bad case of acne. You might be able to get it under control every so often, but it's going to flare up again, over and over, endlessly, and for the rest of your life.

In the fall, I was forced into the realization that there was no way I was ever going to be able to keep up with the clothes, towels, sheets, etc. for our seven member family. So I taught Meyson and Brianna how to do their own. Now they each have one night a week where they wash their own clothes and sheets. As soon as Cody can reach the controls, she will have her own laundry night as well.

At first I thought it was asking too much to have them do their own laundry, my mom always did mine. But then I realized that, in addition to lightening my load (no pun intended), it gave them more of a sense of responsibility and, for Brianna at least, a greater sense of control in a chaotic household. Before she had to constantly remind me that she was out of socks, or underwear, or whatever else. I know it was hard for her to approach me about it, and it was hard for me to hear that I had failed yet again to keep those things readily available to her.

Now I'm doing laundry for five and I'm disappointed to find that it's not that much less work. If I let even two or three days go without doing a load or two, it is so overwhelming that I'd rather crawl inside the pile and hide than try to tackle it. You know, in there with the body sludge, the dried on dinners, the snot. Yeah, it's that bad.

In the last three days, I have done probably close to fifteen loads of laundry. Sure, I've been going through boxes in the garage in preparation to move, so that is more than it would normally take me to catch up. I stared in silent triumph at the empty baskets before me tonight. It was all done. "Was" being the operative word.

Five minutes later I was getting Carson and Memphis ready for bed and of all the things they can do in a day to irritate me, none were as bad as taking the clothes off of their bodies and ruining the barrenness of my laundry baskets. How could they?! Walking around playing all day and wearing clothes! Making clothes dirty! Little ingrates.

I know, I know, I should feel blessed that we have clothes to wear, and I do. I should feel privileged to be able to just put them into a machine and turn a dial to get them clean, and I do. I just wish those clothes would take themselves out of the dryer, either fold themselves or put themselves on a hanger, and put themselves away. Is that really too much to ask?

For My Cody

Cody,
You are such a beautiful child. I enjoy watching you grow and blossom everyday. Your heart is so loving and compassionate and you are an incredible big sister.

I know that when you are with your Daddy that you are having a great time and I wish nothing else for you. It means the world to me that your relationship with your dad is so strong. I know that that relationship will only strengthen you and enrich your life. You are so very blessed to have a father who loves you so dearly.

Your absence has such a profound affect on our household. When you are here, there is laughter and non-stop activity. This is partly due to the fact that you are such an effective activity planner. Just by nature of having a big family, there is still laughter and activity, but a little piece of the joy is missing. I'm not the only one who notices this.

Meyson always wants to know when you are coming back because, as he says, "she is fun." We see less of Brianna when you are gone and much, much more of Carson. I think she misses you the most. She follows me around all day telling me crazy stories and asking me to play polly pocket with her. I assure you that I don't play polly pocket nearly as well as you do.

Even Memphis notices that you are not here and has been wandering the house yelling, "diddy, diddy!" (sissy, sissy). I think he and Carson depend on you more than you realize.

This is in no way meant to make you feel guilty about visiting your dad. I would never put that on your shoulders. I just really felt like you should know just how much you are loved and missed. I want you to know that we think of you all day, everyday. I want you to know that if I could wrap my arms around you right now and squeeze you until you squeak, I would.

We are incomplete without you and cannot wait for your return. How blessed you are to have so many people who love you so much, and how blessed we are to have you to love.

Sending hugs and kisses your way.
Love,
Mom

Tooth Terror

Cody's two front teeth have been loose since before Christmas. We teased her then that she may have to "with uth a merry Crithmuth." One thing you have to realize about Cody is that she is truly terrified of pain. It literally takes three people to hold her down at the doctor's office to give her a shot.

As a result, those teeth have just been sitting there loose in her mouth all this time. Finally one of them began to give way this past week. We have all been extremely patient with her while she shows us how much more wiggly it is while refusing to let anyone near her.

Tonight I couldn't handle it anymore. The tooth was literally hanging out of her mouth. I made a deal with her that if she could pull the tooth out in the next ten minutes that the whole family could go out for ice cream. Didn't take long before everyone in the house was cheering her on.

Every time I gave her an update on the amount of time she had left, she would totally freak out. So, I quietly decided to give her a little more time; mostly because I really wanted some ice cream.

An hour later I got a little impatient. I told her to just sit still while I pulled it out. I expected some resistance, but she just turned her little tear-stained face to me and said very pitifully, "Ok, but someone is going to have to hold me down."

So be it. Meyson held her arms to her side while I gripped her tooth with a paper towel. Again, I expected a little resistance, but that little tooth just slid right out.

She is now known as the ice cream hero.

Brown Chalk?

In celebration of Carson's birthday we are having a slumber party. Nicole's daughters, Emma and Claire, are over and we made one huge sleeping bag on the living room floor where they are currently scarfing down popcorn and watching Lady and the Tramp. This is an example of one of the quiet times we have had this evening.

Earlier they were all playing out in the backyard. I checked on them periodically and they were just very busy playing and having fun. Then......I happened to glance out the back door while I was walking by and noticed that Cody was coloring with what appeared to be chalk. No big deal, wait...we don't have any chalk.

My double take revealed that the chalk was brown. You know what's coming, don't you? Oh yes, she was coloring with Junah's leftovers.

She then informed me that "everybody had been doing it." Great.

Then began the hand washing, lots and lots of hand washing.

Spanich

Cody has decided that Brad should be giving her and Carson Spanish lessons. Yesterday she made them books for the lessons that say "Cody's Spanich Buck" and "Carson's Spanich Buck." Carson thinks she already knows the language and can frequently be heard saying things like, "quantanos" and "cinco seisy ocho." Her accent is actually quite good, her word usage? Not so much.

Brad suggested I find a curriculum and I reminded him that if I were to teach this particular class, that the children would end up speaking Spanish with a Texas accent. He said he thought that Carson's accent was already perfecto. Of course she thought this was worth repeating. Again. And again. And again.

A challenge was in order, so Brad said, "Yo quiero aprender a hablar Espanol muy bien." She replied, "I can't say that."

Guess we'll be writing that one in the Spanich bucks.